The Year of the Tiger
by portisHeart
Summary: A new year is beginning, the chinese Year of the Tiger. Will this bring luck to Liu Fei Long? Maybe it will, once he found a new friend...
1. Irritation

**Year of the Tiger / [chapter 1 - Irritation]  
**by portisHeart

**Rating: T**

**Fandom:** Finder Series (VF)

**Characters:** Liu Fei Long, 1 OC

**Summary chapter 1:** As the new Chinese Year of the Tiger is about to begin, Liu Fei Long makes an unexpected encounter, and his evening won't quite go as planned...

**Warnings:** AU, OOC

**Disclaimer:** Viewfinder characters belong to Yamane Ayano - this fiction is written for fun, not profit.

* * *

Finally. The last business of the day was over. It was already 7 p.m., and because the day's tasks had gone almost flawless into each other, his lunch had been quick and simple.

At the back of the dark limousine, Fei Long was relaxing at last and pondering if he should stop in the city for a meal after all, instead of waiting to be back home.

After the last meeting, an influent politician had invited him to dinner at the renown Landmark Mandarin Oriental Hotel, but he had refused, craving for some privacy as soon as possible. A dinner at the Landmark could be a pleasant event, but he really needed some distraction from the world of business dealings now.

And something appetizing to eat, lunch had been so functional and summary. The feeling in his stomach persuaded him not to wait any longer, so he ordered his driver to drop him at the Harbour Grand Kowloon, since it was nearer from home – after the meal, he really intended to call it a day.

He knew for him there would always be an elegant little private dinner room with a wonderful view on the harbor and the most tasteful food, and had never bothered about reservations. After all, the hotel manager knew how to treat such an important and influent guest. As soon as their distinguished customer stepped in, whenever he felt like it, select employees would welcome him and do anything to fulfill any of his requests.

Looking forward to a pleasurable dinner, Fei Long sat back, stretched himself on the seat letting out a deep sigh of contentment, and closed his eyes, a small smile on his lips.

A short while later, the car came to a stop, and didn't seem to start anew in the average time the wait at a traffic light would last. And somehow, there seemed to be some kind of commotion outside, voices were audible from inside the well isolated limousine.

Wondering how they could possibly have already reached their destination so quickly, and why those people were gathering there, Fei Long opened his eyes a little unwillingly and looked out of the window.

The first thing he noticed was that they actually weren't anywhere near the hotel yet.

Fei Long sighed, annoyed at the delay.

The second was a group of roughly twelve young people in their early twenties, probably students. They were spread on the sideway about ten meters away, some on the street itself, slowing down the traffic. Most of them were obviously trying to interact with the pedestrians, but some aimed at the passing by vehicles as well, waving some kind of leaflets and initiating conversations.

Fei Long rolled his eyes, increasingly irritated at the reason for the annoying delay.

As some of the youngsters saw the imposing long black limousine stopping behind the two cars preceding it, three of them turned around and made directly for the posh car. In seconds, the driver and the other bodyguard sitting in the front seat had stepped outside. They packed two of the students before they could come too near, and managed to send the startled and gesticulating activists back to their group, not in the softest manner. Which left the third just enough time to sprint to the back of the car where he saw a long haired man stare out of the window, probably some model. The student knocked on the glass panel while sticking one of those flyers on the transparent surface.

Fei Long started, and realizing he was seeing the cause of this annoying, irritating delay face to face, he snapped.

With an abrupt movement, he opened the door, sending the student stumbling backwards and falling on his bottom, the flyers scattered all around him. As Fei Long stepped out of the car, his bodyguards were already coming back and about to grab the scared youngster, but their boss hold his hand towards them.

"I will handle this myself, step back and make sure his companions don't interfere", he said without letting his eyes go of the student, who was still sitting in a huddle on the sidewalk. The young man was rubbing his knee where the metal of the door had hit him, his face meanwhile pale and his eyes nervously shifting between the elegant but furious looking man and his not less impressive watchdogs.

"But.. Liu Laoban..", was all one of the men in black could utter before Fei Long threw him a quick but dangerous glance which clearly didn't leave any room for discussion.

"As you wish, Liu Laoban."

Already, their boss had focused back to the young man on the floor, who had instinctively crawled back almost against the car, at the border of the sidewalk. By now, he was quite worried that he might have put himself in a really bad situation.

Like many young men his age he was sometimes a bit bold and heedless, just the idea of targeting such an obvious limousine was typical for his carefree attitude. But as an activist he often had to put up with angry reactions from conservative people, aggressive jerks and authorities. This time though, he felt he may have chosen the wrong people to mess with...

Both guards walked a few steps ahead, turning their backs to the car and shielding the view on their boss and the young man with their bodies.

The other students were now mostly gathering together, but had stepped back a bit further, while the two who had been manhandled by the bodyguards explained excitedly what had just happened to them. A few, maybe three or four, had noticed the commotion, whereas the rest had been busy with other human targets or cars. But actually everything went down so quickly nobody had seen the scene properly, especially not their friend who had singled himself out, reached the limousine and got pushed back on the street by the car door. All upset as they were about the rough treatment suffered by their two peers, none of them noticed he was missing, as a few activists had continued chasing people and cars instead of joining the group.

Behind the protection offered by his guards, Fei Long looked intensely at the young man. With his mates, he was responsible for the interruption of his relaxing journey and for the delaying of his much expected dinner. The little creep had even dared to annoy him personally with his deeds. The crime lord inspired deeply, squatted down to be almost at eye level with the student and at the same time to avoid sticking out too much behind the shield formed by the bodyguards. Even if it seemed that the others weren't aware of his prey trapped between him and the car, he was careful not to reveal it.

"So. And now, to you."

Fei Long fixed the increasingly stressed young man with an angry cold glare and a frown. Maybe a little 'friendly discussion' with the scared activist was going to be a suitable alternative to his interrupted car nap towards the hotel. It could as well help liberate some of the tension accumulated during this endless day.

His voice was controlled, but the undertone was quite worrisome.

"Tell me, don't you have anything better to do than interfere with adults' lives, you brat? Did anybody actually waste any time giving you a pretense of an education? Do you even have an idea of how this situation could end up for you?"

His eyes widened by fear and fixed on Fei Long's, the student opened his mouth to answer, but no sound came out first. He cleared his throat and tried again, after having swallowed a couple of times to get rid of the lump he could feel in there.

"Hm... I... S-sorry... I.. I am sorry...". "M-Mister."

Not very impressed by the student's words, Fei Long stared him down a little more, silently, then lifted his eyebrows and answered in a perfectly bored tone:

"I'd hope so. You just ruined my evening. And you are sorry. Priceless. Well it's a good start, isn't it?"

At complete lack of anything else to say, the youngster took a deep breath. Reflecting that it wasn't possible to bring himself in a much worse situation by trying to explain his reasons, he braced himself and said in a barely audible voice:

"I... I didn't mean to bother you... Mister". "It's just... because..."

"Listen, you shameless person, I couldn't care less what your intentions were or weren't..." retorted Fei Long.

At his big surprise, he couldn't finish his sentence and was suddenly interrupted by the youth, who slowly grew anxious he wasn't even allowed to defend himself.

"But it's because of them, we have to help them Mister! It's important! They need us!"

Fei Long felt his self-control waver. But even if his patience had been tried almost more than he could take, he couldn't avoid his interest being caught by those dramatic words. He lifted his hand to stop the student's emotional verbal flow and try to get directly to the point.

"Is this so. And who needs us so bitterly, if I may ask?"

"The tigers, Mister!"

Sighing dejectedly, Fei Long saw himself confronted with a quite tough decision.

He had spent an extremely busy and annoying day.

He hadn't eaten anything worth naming since breakfast about 12 hours ago.

His car had been stopped by overactive students.

One of them had even been so daring as to knock on his window.

Making him finally lose his patience, step out of the car, and start to scare the shit out of the little creep to make up for his foolishness – and maybe for the rest of the stress accumulated during the day as well…

And now, this kid was sitting on the street in front of him in the middle of his scattered leaflets, eager to pull some activist stunt and tell him some tale about needy tigers. Wonderful.

Somehow, Fei Long felt that the situation was completely sliding into absurdity.

Pinching the bridge of his nose, he evaluated his current options.

Give the unnerving student a good slap across the face - have his goons kick him towards his peers - go back into the car - be driven to the hotel as planned - continue with his projects for the evening, this was one option. But the mood had been kind of spoiled for his very expected solitary peaceful meal.

Do anything harsher wasn't very considerate, there was no need to have more conflicts with the law as necessary. And there wasn't any fun either in manhandling a mere student who couldn't even defend himself. On top of it, the spoiled dinner issue wouldn't be resolved either.

Somehow, the perspective to just push the youth aside, call it a day now and drive directly back home to Baishe's HQ was very, very frustrating too.

The day itself hadn't brought any real satisfaction. Deals had been made but no great profit was to expect of it, the give-and-take balance had been even, not especially in his favor though not bad either. Just dull.

Due to the general grayness of the day, Fei Long needed a change of mind, something to happen to lift him out of his boredom. And 'home' was definitely not going to do the trick. But he was too tired to search for any entertainment in town, nor did he want to put up with crowds.

Looking at the student, the crime lord placed his hands in front of him like a tent with fingertips touching. He decided to stop thinking, go with the flow and make the best of the absurd situation.

Wasn't a new Chinese year about to begin anyway, the Year of the Tiger? Not that Fei Long was so much into astrology, but well, this could still pass under 'cultural entertainment'… Tigers, huh? He couldn't quite suppress a chuckle at himself before he addressed the youth.

"Interesting. Tell me more. But get in the car first."

As the student just glared back at him stunned and motionless, he grabbed the boy's arm, pulled him to his feet and opened the back door of the limousine.

The student's reaction was naturally to resist the sudden unexpected request and free his arm. Even if he hadn't realized the gorgeous looking long haired man was not just an overbearing rich fashion model or band member, he had serious reservations about climbing in a stranger's car. Especially with somebody who had just seemed to be furious enough to make him fall on the floor and treat him this way. This after the man's gorillas had mistreated his friends. He had made the first move by knocking on the darn limousine's window, but now, all he wanted was to get away quickly and join the others. They had meanwhile decided to turn their backs and put more distance between them and the ruthless bodyguards standing in front of the luxurious black limousine.

But Fei Long didn't loosen his grip, and started to scowl. His voice was slightly friendlier than before, though still very authoritative.

"You wanted my attention, you have it. Now that you have succeeded in crossing my plans, I will listen to whatever you wanted to tell me so urgently – but not here. My time is precious, my patience rather thin. Even if I'm willing to let myself be entertained by your doubtless interesting story, I know better than to do this on the sidewalk. So please - Get. In. The. Car."

And saying this, Fei Long pushed the student around the opened door and inside the limousine. He followed him, still holding his arm to prevent the youth to exit on the other side.

The driver and his colleague had discretely followed the exchange, and caught the hint to climb into the car as soon as their boss had moved in. As they drove away, Fei Long released his passenger's arm and told the driver to continue to the previous destination.

Then he turned to the quite shocked student and informed him casually:

"I suppose you are hungry. Be my guest. During dinner, you will have all leisure to expose whatever you wanted me to know about."

The student was mighty annoyed at the turn the events had taken. But in spite of the wealthy man's quite pushy, physically dominant and respectless attitude, he thought he wasn't really in any danger. Naturally, he didn't have a clue about _who_ he just managed to provoke. So he relaxed a little, and hoped this was a genuine invitation to dinner. And he wondered if all these posh show business types were just as eccentric as this one.

The rest of the short drive to the hotel went by in an awkward silence.

They both had somehow half willingly decided to go with the flow, but the situation was still quite unreal for them…

(End of chapter 1)


	2. Explanation

**Year of the Tiger / [chapter 2 - Explanation]  
**by portisHeart

**Rating: T**

**Fandom:** Finder Series (VF)

**Characters:** Liu Fei Long, 1 OC

**Summary chapter 2:** A savory dinner, a breathtaking view... and an unusual conversation for Liu Fei Long.

**Warnings:** AU, OOC

**Disclaimer:** Viewfinder characters belong to Yamane Ayano - this fiction is written for fun, not profit.

* * *

As the glass door opened and the first guest entered the room in long strides, he was instantly recognized, and the headwaiter hurried to welcome him with all due respect. If he started inwardly and couldn't believe his eyes at the sight of the other guest of the party following immediately, his well-mannered and professional expression didn't show.

Because if it had, he would have opened wide eyes, lifted his eyebrows and probably looked down his nose.

Between the handsome and absolutely refined long haired man in his late twenties wearing a perfectly tailored black Shanghai Tang suit on a white silk shirt, and the completely underdressed youth in his more than casual streetwear, namely a quite formless hooded dark blue sweatshirt and jeans, the contrast was striking.

But as they walked in together, it was obvious the young man somehow belonged to their important guest, so nobody would have dared to make a comment. At least, thought the employee, even if his attire was really far from the dress code expected in the hotel, the clothes looked actually quite new and visibly clean.

A deferent smile plastered on his face, the headwaiter bowed and greeted the newcomers.

"Master Liu, such a wonderful surprise to see you tonight."

He then turned a little to face the unfitting young man, and uttered politely:

"Welcome as our guest, Mister. May I lead the way?"

Fei Long returned the greeting shortly but as graciously as his mood permitted, not bothering at all about the reaction his companion may cause. His young guest, intimidated and feeling completely out of place in these elite surroundings, smiled nervously and whispered a shy hello.

They were seated in a private modern, very comfortable bay windowed room with a breathtaking view on the harbor. The inviting table bore more crockery on top of it as the student actually could call his own. Fei Long ordered for them both, their drinks were brought in, and finally they were left alone.

The Triad leader relaxed on his chair, closed his eyes for a little while taking a deep breath, and exhaled slowly. Opening his eyes again, he observed calmly the young man sitting in front of him, busy staring at the luxury around him and the impressive view offered by the window taking one full side of the room.

"I listen."

The student started and looked back at the man who had first almost hurt then scolded him, forced him to come along in his car, and was now inviting him in a high standing hotel for a very expensive meal. Again he had to clear his voice to speak.

"What do you want? Why did you bring me here?"

"Your story."

"You… really want me to tell you…"

"Yes. I do. Somehow, I wonder what is so important to you that you dare trouble my peace. And I happen to be wanting some entertainment. So please proceed with your animal story."

"Oh. So you don't really care, do you?"

"I am not in the mood to argue about my deep convictions. You stomped over me with your request for attention, deeply annoying me, interrupting my relaxation, and I've been so kind to not even retaliate. I am going as far as to offer you an occasion to experience being part of a world where you will never set a foot again. So don't try my patience any further. I am doing what you wanted from me as you knocked on the car window. I am listening to you."

"Ok, ok, don't get upset, Mister."

While he was speaking those last words, the young man searched his pockets, and finally managed to pull out one of his flyers. This one was quite crumpled, but as the rest of them had been left on the sidewalk as the car drove away, it was the only one he had left.

"Look here. You see this picture? It's them."

In the middle of the creased bit of paper was a photograph of a grown up tiger and a cub to be seen. Obviously parent and child, both white with black stripes. Probably Siberian or Bengal. The adult quite a beautiful feline and the cub… well, sweet like a big kitten. A very big one.

Fei Long watched the picture for a while, then had a quick look at the rest of the leaflet, where the words 'zoo' and 'sponsor' were written a couple of times in big letters.

"So, what about them? I don't want to read… this. I want you to tell me", said Fei Long, looking back at the young activist and sweeping away the crumpled piece of paper.

As the student was ready to set forth with the story, there was a polite knock on the door and two waiters appeared, pushing a service table with their meal. Fei Long had opted for a choice of different dishes, varied but well assorted, easy to serve, so that after the first service had been done by the staff, they would be able to refill their plates by themselves. This was the distinguished guest's request to minimize the intrusion into his private sphere, he had seen enough people for today. If the earlier events had prevented him to enjoy his meal quietly by himself, he didn't wish to have anybody else than his improvised guest around him.

For a while, the room was quiet as they tasted their dinner, an the few sentences exchanged were comments and praise about the delicious meal. When they had tried from all the dishes and savored about half of the platters' contents, the student looked at the man sitting opposite him and started to fidget a little. Indulgent towards the boy's impatience, Fei Long told him he could go on with his story while they continued eating.

Actually, he enjoyed his evening much more than he had expected, and maybe more than he would have if he had been by himself. The young man's reactions to his surroundings and the food were interesting, his conversation quite different from what Fei Long had to hear during those business meetings. And there was no need to put up a mask, the youth didn't have a clue who he was dining with, probably thinking he was a model or the like. Quite refreshing.

"So, about the two tigers on the picture. They are white Bengal tigers with Siberian lineage. The big one is the cub's mother. She's beautiful, and quite tame, because she's born in captivity and has been used to people since she was a cub. Her son is only four weeks old, and..."

The expression on the youth's face changed, and he looked at Fei Long with quite sad eyes.

"That's why we were distributing the flyers... Now, the mother and her cub are still living in a little zoo, which happens to have serious financial difficulties. They're about to close, and had to somehow find new places for all their animals in the year to come. Lots of them have already been placed. The zoo has decided to give the little male away as soon as he's barely old enough to quit his mother. This means the buyer may have to nurse him for a while. They say they have more chances to get a good offer for him alone while he's still young, and were searching for another place to translocate his mother and his two sisters."

The young man's expression changed from sad to bitter, and he shook his head.

"It's mainly about their budget. Those tigers are sought for, unlike the other animals belonging to this zoo, and he is a male, an interesting point regards to eventual breeding. Whoever takes him will need to offer a nice sum. As far as we know, there are a couple of interested parties already, some parks and some sponsors. The donors are mainly multinational companies. So it's not excluded that they have some ideas of promoting their image using the little tiger for publicity, while his well-being isn't priority. Naturally, this isn't proved, only gossip."

Recognizing the laws of the world of affairs, Fei Long only murmured "Business…", and the youth nodded.

"Back to the wild is not an option – the mother has always lived in captivity, and there's no time to put up a reinsertion program for the cubs. Even if this could be organized, tiger hunters are a danger that can't be excluded. What is needed is a really big reserve, a wild life park, something similar."

"The highest bidder will control where and in which conditions the tigers will spend the rest of their lives. And as it looks like the faster better competitor will obtain the approval from the zoo, the solution they can offer won't probably be half as nice as the tigers deserve."

"Only a really mighty financial help could ensure a good party has the upper hand on whatever offers the other candidates may make. With this funds as a back-up, our action group could negotiate with the zoo direction. The money would be used to complete the most decent party's bidden amount, so the zoo may be inclined to consider selling the cub to them. Ideally, we even wish the whole family to be kept together. That's why we were trying to collect money, organize bigger donations and sensibilize both the media and private people. Up to now, the amount we have gathered is minimal."

His face serious and looking more grown up than a while ago, the student verified if he still had Fei Long's full attention. He took a couple of sips from his drink, drew a deep breath and went on.

"The decision will probably be taken soon, we're talking two months a the best. The time they will allow the cub to stay with his mother after this will be the absolute minimum they have to respect. Once the deal has been concluded and contracts signed, no further offer will be taken into consideration any more. His fate will be sealed. Worse, if this scheme is successful, they may do the same to the other two cubs... his sisters. They're not on the picture. With them, no official planning as been started yet, the little male being more fussed upon. The tigress may be sold to whoever wants her too. So who knows where they'll all end up…"

"I... I only wish we could have moved more people, pressured the media... made them change their policy and forget about selling the cub away like this... allowing them to be together in a good setting, at least until the cubs reach the age to be independent. Find the best solution, not only based on profit..."

His fork playing with the food on his plate, the student had stopped talking for a while, and on his face Fei Long could see his sadness and his disappointment at the adult world. The youth raised his head, chuckled and added in a cynical tone:

"You know what's funny? The year of the tiger is about to begin... talk about luck for them four."

Somehow, to his greatest surprise, Fei Long noticed that he had been listening all along, captivated, feeling upset in sync with the student.

He shook his head, not believing himself that his attention would be caught by such a subject. And not only his attention. His emotions too. He actually wished the cub to have a peaceful life there where he would feel well, in a large and suited space.

"Oh my... since when do I have an interest in... animal babies? This kid's softness and naivety is affecting me in a way I don't appreciate", Fei Long reflected and frowned. Maybe it hadn't been a good idea to pick up the little punk after all. What a stupid whimsical idea to drag him to the hotel.

Misunderstanding Fei Long's facial expression for disgust about the zoo leadership and the other involved parties, the young man nodded and showed his appreciation with a thumb up movement.

"See, even you being a rich ba... erh man, you think their deal is crap, right? I wouldn't have thought you'd care."

Great. Now this tactless young twit was calling him names as well. Though, the student was quite accurate, three times in a row. Fei Long was rich. The title 'bastard' was not only true but actually a major understatement, taken his reputation in the underworld. And normally, he wouldn't have given a damn about either cubs or how fair other people's business attitudes were. Add a fourth time to the row, he really did think the deal was crap.

The mere fact that his mind was dwelling on this issue was alarming enough.

Fei Long was starting to brood about the way he had been distracted from a relaxing, mind-soothing meal to plunge into youthful turmoil and zoological depths. Short of telling the student to shove it and get the hell out of the place, he was distracted by a polite knock on the door announcing the staff.

He answered with a dry "Yes", the two waiters came in mannerly, cleaned the table, offered fresh tea and desserts, asking if their honorable guest had any more requests.

As Fei Long informed them he'd call later if this was the case, the waiters left.

Silence came back into the room, but this little interruption had nonetheless calmed down his almost boiling mood a little... While the student smiled broadly at the sweets brought and started to dig in, Fei Long grabbed a cup of tea and walked over to a more comfortable chair in front of the large window. As he sat down, he noticed the crumpled piece of paper on the floor. He picked it and had another look at the picture.

(End of chapter 2)


	3. Satisfaction

**Year of the Tiger / [chapter 3 - Satisfaction]  
**by portisHeart

**Rating: T**

**Fandom:** Finder Series (VF)

**Characters:** Liu Fei Long, 1 other OC

**Summary chapter 3:** A friendship is born - Liu Fei Long has found a new companion, a very special one.

**Warnings:** AU, OOC

**Disclaimer:** Viewfinder characters belong to Yamane Ayano - this fiction is written for fun, not profit.

* * *

After hours of play with his new friend, the four months old cub was quieting a little. Sprawled on his back, tail weaving, he was still trying to bite while getting his tummy rubbed. Laughing, the handsome man dressed in fine chinese garments tried to keep the cub's paws off his long black hair. Deciding the big kitten was a bit too wild, he sat back on a rock. But the cub didn't want to stop playing, and he stood on his back legs, the front paws on his friend's lap, making the man chuckle and scratch the cub between the ears.

"Tsk tsk tsk, Ho Choi, you're not behaving today, are you? Aren't you tired after all this running around? I can't take it any more, you little… oww! This was my thigh!" He smiled in spite of the fact that his beautiful silk cheongsam, meanwhile dirtied and a little ripped by the cub's claws as well, was doomed to be thrown away as soon as he got back to the house. There, fresh clothing awaited him, this not being the first time his four-legged friend had made a mess of his attire.

As his name said already, the cub was lucky – to have such a friend who cared and had made it possible for him to be here in the huge domain, and to be still able to play with his sisters under the vigilant eye of their mother.

Save for now, because the grass patch where Fei Long was playing with his protégé was actually inside his own patio.

He had bought a large bit of land about half an hour from Kowloon by helicopter, and in an amazing short time, his property had been modified to his wishes. Well fenced and secured against trespassers intruding and tigers escaping, with a team of guards and the best electronic security devices, the domain was impenetrable and safe for his occupants.

Inside the miles wide property, the tigers were free to roam as they wanted. Everything they may have needed or wanted was provided for, the landscape had been terraformed so there were enough trees, rocks, water patches and different vegetation types to keep it interesting for the felines. They had even introduced some smaller animals as potential prey.

The idea was to accustom the felines to their new wilder life, while still keeping in contact with them – a compromise between the captivity they had known and a complete liberty too difficult to supervise. Slowly and increasingly, the tigers had started to explore the domain. But the tigress, having been fed by human hand all her life, wasn't able to hunt. So she'd hang around the caretaker's unit at feeding times… or when she just wanted to feel "her" humans. And the team members made sure the cubs would develop a bond with them, as it was necessary for trouble free veterinarian care.

Still, even if not used to its fullest yet, the area was big enough to ensure the three cubs would have enough space of their own in the future, once they were grown up and more independent.

In the center of the property, a working and live-in unit had been built for the caretakers in charge of the tiger family's well-being. Some of the employees of the zoo, who had been working with the tigress for years and had built a trust relationship with her, had been hired at high prices, and new professionals added, as the property itself needed maintenance. The working unit had all required veterinarian utilities, and the bungalows where the caretakers and the small servants staff were housed was modern and very appreciated.

Fei Long had his own house standing a little further away, built in a tasteful bungalow-style too, but shaped like a closed ring with an inner patio. Mostly when he had Ho Choi over, he would stay there, in the shade of a big tree, playing with the cub or resting in a reclining chair while his feline friend took a nap on the lawn. Or depending on the weather, they'll spend the afternoon in a large and comfortable, specially installed inside room, similar to a winter garden, where the little tiger could run and play without damages.

This fun was sometimes shared with Tao. The boy always came along when Fei Long decided to stay overnight. He would be mildly busy with some household chores, since his master wanted to minimize the staff in the house while they were there. The other servants went back to the housing unit while their master enjoyed his privacy, and only appeared when absolutely needed. But his duties would leave the young servant enough time to enjoy the little feline as well.

The ring shaped house guaranteed Fei Long's privacy, and made sure the tigress wouldn't invade his quarters looking for her cub while Ho Choi was inside. She would stay between the caretaker's unit and Fei Long's house with her two daughters. There, the team would watch them, play with the two remaining cubs, and divert their mother's attention while their boss was enjoying his favorite's company. First she had been a little restless, but meanwhile she had understood that after some hours of playtime, the cub was brought back safely outside to join his family.

His mother would sniff him thoroughly and lick the human smell away, but as she was used to people she wouldn't fuss about it.

Once in a while, the team would escort Fei Long to the caretaker's unit, and well protected by the care team, he would spend a while petting all cubs together, and leave the tame female acknowledge him. Now, she recognized his smell on her son, not reacting badly, but still cleaning him properly after his visits inside Fei Long's house.

Still, from them all, the little male cub on the flyer had been his favorite from the beginning. He was the one his affection was concentrated upon, and he had chosen a special name for his protégé, one which fit well with his destiny: lucky.

And not only Ho Choi was lucky. Fei Long was really happy he had somehow decided to let himself get moved by the student's ramblings.

It had irritated him at first to sacrifice clusters of his usual emotional coolness to thoughts about a… cub, especially after a day like this where his mind had just screamed for soothing emptiness.

Then he had cursed himself for having started the procedures with the zoo and the propriety as his busy schedule screamed for attention and focusing.

Not to mention he had to face his subordinates with the request to manage the whole affair as he delegated it to them. He was their boss, he could do and think what he wanted, they had to follow his orders. Nonetheless, this wasn't an usual business case for Baishe members, and once again, their bosses' eccentricity was the subject of a couple of discreet remarks and eyebrows lifting.

Now, usually once a week due to his busy schedule, Fei Long would spend one or two days at the domain. He had to concentrate some work in the remaining evenings, but this was worth it. And the once endless evenings were now less lonely due to the increased activity.

Fei Long enjoyed every moment with Ho Choi a lot, he always went back happy and refreshed after each visit at the domain. The change of environment and the calm out there would relax him agreeably. And most importantly, he could forget all sorrows, focus on the little feline and play with him, stroke his white fur, smell his wild scent and open his heart. He could express feelings of care and feel free as he wouldn't dream of with any human being. With Tao, whom he cared for deeply, he still had to maintain his position as the master, with the cub he could let go.

And he knew that the tiger would never betray him. Maybe things would be different once the cub had grown into a majestic adult feline. Ho Choi wasn't 'his' tiger, but Fei Long hoped once the playfulness of his childhood was gone there would still be a trustful and solid contact, a kind of friendship. They had three good years to build this before the cub would be considered grown up.

For the moment, Ho Choi was enjoying his benefactor's attention, and nuzzled against Fei Long's face as the man bowed down. The fur tickled him, the cub's moist nose against his bare skin made him chuckle and shake his head in delight, enveloping them both in a curtain of black hair.

Which meant that seconds after, Fei Long had to fight to entangle his friend and escape the torture of his hair being pulled. Tao would have some serious brushing to do tonight…

Later, Ho Choi finally laid down at his feet with his head on his paws, the long hours of play having managed to tire him enough to slowly feel the need of a nap. Fei Long kneeled next to the little feline, stroking him quietly, and murmured "I'm happy I found you, Ho Choi. It is a new beginning for us both. For you the beginning of a new safe life here, and for me the start of a new friendship with you, I enjoy your company so much… It is a good year. Your year. The Year of the Tiger. I hope this will bring us both luck."

(End of chapter 3 - The end)


End file.
